Dayramir Gonzalez

With an adventurous spirit based in the classical tradition and deeply versed in Afro Cuban rhythms and jazz, Gonzalez took early inspiration from Valdés, Oscar Peterson, and Chick Corea. Son of Afro-Cuban trumpeter Fabian Gonzalez, the aspiring musician first connected with the piano at eight, falling under the tutelage of founding Irakere percussionist Oscar Valdés and joining the veteran’s renowned ensemble Diákara at sixteen, turning professional after his studies at Havana’s National High School for the Arts. Moving to the States to study at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, Gonzalez was awarded the Berklee College of Music Presidential Scholarship in 2010, making him the first Cuban artist to receive the honor in the school's history. He was personally selected by Chucho Valdés to represent the young generation of Cuban jazz at Carnegie Hall’s “Voices of Latin America” series, and he received the Wayne Shorter Award for Best Jazz Composer upon graduation. A three-time Cubadisco winner (the Cuban equivalent of the GRAMMYs), Gonzalez performs in celebration of his new Machat Records album The Grand Concourse, a spectacular statement of musical diversity featuring special guests Pedrito Martínez and Raul Pineda.